I’ve been silent for a few months with my writing and contributing to this blog, which honestly, should scare the hell out of everyone, as silence with me can only mean one thing…. more cauldron stirring.

My lack of contributions simply meant that I was occupied with other things, not that the mouthy witch waved the white flag and gave up… oh, cont-rare! I have a TON of new material to work with! (It’s just a matter of finding the time). So.. Grab a bottle of Meade, pop some popcorn, sit back and watch the fur fly…

…Again.

Exactly a year and three months after I took to the keyboard and vented my feelings and disdain about having a law of ethics I do not follow shoved in my face, my article, Shove Your Three-Fold Somewhere Elseseems to still be getting knickers in a twist.

In the past week alone, since it’s second round of going viral, I’ve received probably over a hundred emails and messages either cheering me on for it, or scolding me some more.

I appreciate the sentiments on both sides (lol) but I didn’t write that piece for validation, approval, to make friends or to be told to apologize…

Because I won’t.

Proceed reading this blog with caution, because there’s a

I also won’t change or alter the article in any way, as was (albeit politely) suggested by a Wiccan I have come to know and respect. Why? Because I don’t back peddle. I’m also not easily strong-armed. And by the way…. the only person I am oath-bound to is myself… that is the tradition (If we’re going to throw traditions around) I was born into, initiated into and live by, which makes me the kind of witch who is a nightmare for those who don’t want a mirror held up to them. If I’m going to lay a verbal smack-down or talk shit, well, then I’m also going to own it. Many people write and post things in a fit of emotion, click, “Post” and then once they’ve calmed down a bit, or are “persuaded” otherwise, panic and delete it, only to realize that someone, somewhere has already screen captured it to haunt the author with it for years to come.

Guess what? I’m not one of those people. RARELY will I write and publish or post something I will later remove (and when I do, it’s usually because I accidentally posted it twice, or found some serious typos all because I type too damned fast.. in one instance, I did it to call someone out and get their attention..and when I did, and we talked, I removed it because it then became between me and them and not me, them and everyone else on the planet whose eyes happened to be prying that day). I think long and hard before I post something… that article alone went through 18 edits and took 3 hours to write, because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t pure, raw emotion when I finally committed to putting it out there into the world. It may have been personal for some who read it, but rest assure, it wasn’t personal for me (which I’m sure will make some feel all warm and tingly inside knowing this)… In other words, you might consider me a premeditated kind of person. I know exactly what I am doing when I do it.

I also wouldn’t hold out for an apology from me either, because it’s not coming. If someone was offended by what I wrote, or their feelings were hurt, well, I’m not responsible for anyone else’s feelings or emotions. It was suggested I amend the original article to say “Some Wiccans” … that’s not going to happen either. Those Wiccans who are “Old school” as they call themselves, or who simply don’t partake in the fluffy ridiculousness out there I called out in that article really have no need to be offended at all, if you don’t do it, then why take it personally? It doesn’t apply to you, right?

And if you don’t do it, it should bother the hell out of you that there are those out there who call themselves Wicca and make a fairy tale circus out of the tradition you take so seriously. “Some Wiccans”… hmmmm… well, I hate to be the one to tell you, (actually, I’m sorta gloating about it) that THOSE are the people who are representing the rest of you. Anyone can be as upset, uptight or angry as they want, but I am simply one voice of many who felt the way I did when I wrote that piece, the only difference, was that I went out on a limb, grew a set of crystal balls and said something on a platform that can’t or won’t be later hidden. Why?

Accountability.

Someone said to me, after reading the article, “You’re obviously not BTW” (British Traditional)… well, no shit Sherlock! That just shows how incredibly narrow-minded many of us have become, when they hear “Traditional witch” they automatically think BTW. To think that anything or anyone outside of Wicca isn’t a witch at all!

In the words of the great Malficent:

………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………..

……………………sorry………

….still laughing…..

Getting back to accountability…

I own what I do and I own what I say. I will never, ever tell a person what I think they want to hear, or to appeal to the masses. When approached by someone looking for a mentor in the Craft, the very first thing I tell them is that I am NOT Wiccan, should they be expecting to learn or be initiated Wicca. That’s the first half of accountability, responsibility. What the Wiccans have going on out there are these people who go to their local Barns N Noble New Age and Spirituality section, pick up a nifty “Love and Light” book from Llewellyn , read it, self initiate, and then call themselves High Priest or Priestess and run around handing out glittery butterflies and finger shakings, hide behind Karma (which is an Eastern philosophy, by the way) and identifying with the lot of initiates who took the time and effort to actually learn, earn and carry their titles with grace. They’re like the Witches version of a Jehovah, knocking on everyone’s front door whose practices and ethics differ, and cramming that three-fold pamphlet down our throats… That “Pamphlet” is like a train wreck… you don’t want to look but the curiosity is irresistible, and so we do, just so that we know exactly what level of delusional we’re dealing with– and wish we hadn’t.

It’s ok… if we just say 10 “Hail Mary’s” and two “Our Father’s” and a “Blessed Be” or two… we’re all good…

Ummm… yeah….

They can best be compared to someone picking up the King Solomon version of the Bible, reading it from cover to cover, then going over to Costume Express and buying a white collar and calling themselves ordained and holding confession for the public on Sundays. If any of the Wiccans who had the “Hmph!” waving their pearly white athame’s and shaking their wands in the air reaction to that article because everything I said is “Simply not true!” all I have to say is,

What do you suppose would happen to a Private First-Class in the military who was caught telling others he was a Sargent Colonel? Whoa…. would there be a shit pie dinner served! I make this comparison because many initiates consider themselves to be among the “Elite” (cough, cough) yet do absolutely, positively nothing, nada, zip, zilch ZERO about the misinformation out there freely dished out by those who call themselves Wiccan and, in the eyes of an initiate, are NOT. (Go ahead if you don’t want to believe me, ask an initiate if a non-initiate calling themselves Wiccan are truly considered Wiccan).

There are countless threads and discussions via social media that talk about this author or that one who is “Very Fluffy” in the work they produce, or call it outright hogwash… but it doesn’t go any farther than that discussion…..

Accountability.

Writing an educated and informative rebuttal, write that author, write the publisher, or getting your asses out there in the public on a public platform and educating others on what it is and what it is not….

Accountability.

Not leaving the rest of us, who don’t follow a tradition that has made it into the hands, eyes and ears of the masses, to deal with these people who besmirch it, give the rest of us indigestion and migraines and clean up the messes THEY made… it’s not our monkey, and it’s not our circus, yet when the dust settles after a go around with one of them, scarcely is there an initiate anywhere to be found to set those people straight.

Accountability.

Writing an article addressing someone who disagrees with you and signing it with your name and not “Anonymous”…

Accountability.

The truth is that THIS is how the rest of us view your traditions. Step outside of your tight-knit circles and open your eyes. Go ahead… dip your little toe into the water, it’s ok, most of the rest of us don’t bite….

….much.

But you’ll start seeing exactly what the rest of us are seeing and having to deal with.

I’m sure there are more, but I personally know of two witches (One Gardnerian, one Alexandrian–both HP/HPS) who do a remarkable job with educating and mentoring. Both are high-profile, but I won’t mention their names here because I didn’t ask their permission to do so prior to writing this. Suffice it to say, I wish they could be cloned, because they do what they do well, and because the rest of us wouldn’t be getting so damned frustrated.

These are two individuals who understand accountability and responsibility in the Craft.

Here are just EIGHT of the many comments received in support of the article, and what is being done out there to others… if this doesn’t open up even the staunchest initiate’s eyes, then absolutely nothing will:

I loved the article I shared it …. If they don’t like it they need to get off their fluffy asses and change it

Thank you for saying what the rest of us are thinking!

I get so tired of myself and others being berated when someone asks for magickal help on these so-called witch pages.

I agree that we don’t appreciate being spoken to as if we’re a naughty child who has no idea the consequences of our actions. If you don’t know that, you have no reason being a witch. It’s such a bunch of bull to be looked down on by what I’ve considered to be “my kind”. Anyway, thank you for putting it out there for those that wish to judge.

I liked the article and I believe it needed to be said.

see I agree completely with you, I have never followed the three fold law, it is in my opinion nothing more than the hell christians use. It is is a way of maintaining conformity and obedience. Does anyone with real research knowledge actually think the ancient practitioners sat around worrying about some cosmic revenge??

I read your article and found it enlightening for someone like me who is consciously new to the craft. Everywhere I looked and read there was the rule of three, fill your enemy with love and light and similar tripe….this is not me as a person and I genuinely struggled with this rede..

Love it. Needed to be said.

Call me what you like, at the end of the day, I can still lay my head down at night and sleep well because, **shrugs** it was honest. #Sorrynotsorry

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About krystalmadison

Known as "The Witch of Sleepy Hollow", as a child, Krystal knew that there was more to this physical existence where black and white exist, that there was a gray area many still could not see.
But she could.
Even as a young child, Krystal was able to see and communicate with those who have crossed over, but at nine years old, a near-death experience thrust her head-first into a world that would make her realize that we really aren't alone. Visions became clearer and made more sense, the spirits that roam the earth would begin to seek her out to relay a message to a loved one she was simply walking past in a super market. She understood even then, that there was more to this life than just existing and believes that we don’t have to live with all the limitations we place on ourselves, nor fear our own mortality.
A 10th generation natural born witch with close ties to Salem and New Orleans, Krystal comes from a long line of magickal roots, with grandparents who were Native American and Gypsy, and a mother who was a Santeria Priestess.
In May 2012, she founded The Pagan Circle, an online social media community that has grown to 23,000 members world-wide. In May, 2013 the Pagan Circle website was launched.
On November 15, 2012, she founded Pagan Parents Online, another social media resource for Pagan Parents.
In May 2013, she launched Enchanted Hollows, an online store dedicated to offering hand-made, old-world alchemical and magickal products and in 2014, Deja-Vuduu.
Her published works include articles and features in Inner Realm and Wisdom Magazines, and she has made appearances on Darkness Radio, Z-Talk Radio, HEX Education,30-Odd Minutes and other media outlets.
Regularly volunteering her time to the Pagan Community, Krystal is also an Ordained Minister and High Priestess of the Raven's Wing Coven in upstate New York, and founder of The Council of the Serment Sacre' (Sacred Oath) the Corvin Method of Witchcraft, and Festival of Witches in Sleepy Hollow, New York as well as playing host to the weekly radio show, "Good Morning Goddess", and Nocturnas Paranormal Radio on Blog Talk Radio.
You can visit her on her websites at: http://www.krystalmadison.com
http://www.festivalofwitches.com
http://www.hudsonvalleybeltane.com

I would also like to add, that I have had quite a few people requesting to be taught, now my teaching starts with the HISTORY of the craft, actually reading about Gardner, Buckland, Crowley, O.T.O, Golden dawn, etc, and sadly they all drift away and later tell me they were simply seeking how to do spells and that’s it, and THAT is another thing that is wrong with the community.

That is why many traditions (Wicca or otherwise) follow the year and a day method when accepting new students, initiation, becoming HP/HPS. If a person can stay interested and committed for a year and a day, they move on to the next level. It’s a thinning of the herd if you ask me, and proves useful when trying to weed out those who are truly committed and wanting to learn, and those who are looking for that quick, “Practical Magic”, “Midnight Margarita’s” fix.

To put it bluntly, fucking thank you for saying this not once but twice. Im still learning myself and the three fold law has always seemed a way to make witchcraft more palatable to the masses. Not everyone is cut out for this and to pretend otherwise is just absolutely foolish. So once again thank you for saying what we’re all thinking.

Ok, so i’ve been binge reading some of your blog stuff. I have to say it’s the most fun i’ve had reading random material in awhile. You’re a take-no-prisoners, balls to the wall witch, who lays the truth of the matters in an upfront way. That’s awesome. It’s refreshing in a world where politically correct seems to be the order of the day. Your previous blog and this one bring up a multitude of on-the-spot topics. While i enjoy the entire notion of Wiccan and Witchcraft i can’t be help but always be finding flaws in their logic. The idea of the Three-Fold always seemed odd. If it were an actual consequnce why would there even be branches of magic (curses, jinxes and hexes) dedicated to creating harm when the backlash to the caster would be even worse? Why would a witch bother to cast a curse knowing she would suffer even worse? Why would there even be curses, hexes and jinxes if that we’re the case? The Three-Fold, like many other notions of moral may have come from a good heart, but it’s been twisted into guilt-tripping people. From where i see magic (sorry i’m not english so i don’t know if i’m spelling certain terms right) is a part of a person, of their nature and is to be practiced in full (with a degree of accountability and care always). Magic is like pottery in my eyes, where you mold clay into many unique, beautiful or ugly shapes. So in all of that you have a fan in me, since you point out that all of these things in one way or another.

With that being said, i’m hoping you’d be open to some constructive criticism. While i very much enjoyed your previous blog post, with that no-excuses, take no prisoners, full-frontal honesty, there were certain moments reading the post that made me cringe, where you went a little bit too much on a balls to the wall rant. While i get the notion that mountains aren’t moved with whispers and that your writing style is meant to make people’s blood boil and ruffle all these feathers to make them aware of points your making, sometimes going overboard on that regard can muddle the discussion, making people react on passion and anger to your remarks rather than think through the very correct points you’ve made. Another thing to add to that bluring is the fact that the emotion (and some of the phrases) your post transpired made seem like this is a “some-busted my nuts” type of personal issue (if it is or not i’m not sure, but it is what the post seems to imply). If you put in all of that together and the points will mostly fail to go through, which i’m guessing is contrary to the intent of the post. It’s a fact that people tend to be believe anything and that passion rules reason, but sometimes you can work around that with some key choice words and with some a slightly (emphasis on slightly) calmer way of making the point. I hope you take this, not as a bashing, but a point made by a fan and not turn me into a frog. 😀

I very much welcome constructive criticism, and I thank you for yours! Eloquence has never been a strong suit of mine when getting a point across lol, but I don’t write with the specific goal in mind to ruffle feathers. (Note, I didn’t say I didn’t LIKE doing it, or don’t intentionally poke the bear from time to time, lol) but it’s certainly not my daily MO. 😉

i want to thank you for an interesting read.
I’ve been teaching myself 14yrs. I’ve read books, cast some spells but honestly I feel I would be lying if I said I was Wiccan. I don’t believe in all of the fluffy stuff.
I would love to be able to find a traditional witch mentor or teacher.
I do truely believe in Mother Earth & spirits.
I’m a believer in the physics, tea &a crystal reading. I’ve recently learned my experiences are that of empathetic gift, I’m hoping to learn to control.
In all I never feel like I’m really doing witchcraft right but I don’t know what that is as I’m solitary… Well I don’t know what I am a wannabe I guess.
I thank you for your honesty

I’m a professional freelance proofreader and editor. I couldn’t continue reading until I let you know that there is no such word as “cont-rare.” The correct French word is “contraire.” I didn’t even have to actually do a search on your misspelling, I got the correct spelling as a suggestion. Please, please proofread before you post, or, better yet, have someone who knows what they are doing look it over before you post.

I really like your posts and you have great things to impart, but when I see mistakes like this … I’m sorry to say, but it downgrades my opinion and makes me suspect anything the person may present as ‘fact’ because they couldn’t be bothered to use a foreign word correctly.

If this was some weird autocorrect glitch–it should have been caught when proofreading.

And now, I can actually go back to read your content, which from the title, I am sure I will be nodding my head in agreement. A lot.

Recently I had to write a post for Pagans Down Under on my pet peeves and your first article had been making the rounds and caught my eye because I agree with most of what you said. I popped a link to it in my post for others to see. What you’ve cited is the reason I don’t particularly participate in online forums anymore – if it’s geared toward Wiccans, Pagans and Witches – not hard to figure out whose voice is shouting the loudest.

Just wanted to drop by and say love what you do, love your honestly, I appreciate bluntness because it’s not ambiguous so therefore definitely more truthful and I’m certainly going to keep checking back to read your blog.

Thank you a million times over for these articles….because a lot of the time I feel like the world is drowning in love and light and unicorn shit….and I know that is not how the world works, and that is not how human nature works. Thank you, thank you.